


Cheap Shots & Setbacks

by TheOneAndOnlyBeepBoop



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26965918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOneAndOnlyBeepBoop/pseuds/TheOneAndOnlyBeepBoop
Summary: Hiccup Haddock is just your average high school sophomore. He doesn't play any sports, doesn't do any extracurriculars, and just generally tries to keep to himself. The only threat to his unremarkable life is the fact that he knows about the existence of dragons. He tries to hide it, but his curiosity gets the better of him, and soon, everything is thrown off balance.
Relationships: Heather/Fishlegs Ingerman, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson, Snotlout Jorgenson/Ruffnut Thorston
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

Long ago, in the age of Vikings, there were dragons. No one really believes that, however. Only the elders of Berk truly believe it, telling the children the stories their grandparents told them. Even so, the children don't listen.

Berk. It's an old, old island within the Archipelago country of Havardr. Different to the rest of the world, Havardr(though the locals still call it the Barbaric Archipelago), has no singular leader, but a council of "chiefs" passed down from father to son, that meets monthly to make decisions for the country.

How Havadr came to be is an interesting tale, but to condense it, the archipelago was discovered and colonized by Americans in the late 1800s and gained independence shortly after World War I. Luckily, the majority of the country's Viking heritage and history were able to be preserved, though most of the dragon-related documents have been lost.

That brings us to today. Where no one bothers to be careful when going into the woods for fear of running into a beast of old. Where none of the youths truly believe what's possible in our world. Where all that's left of the dragons are a set of training manuals that are supposedly only fictional. Where no one truly knows how to train a dragon.


	2. How Not To Be A Loser

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III hated life. What 15-year-old outcast wouldn't? The most he had going for him was his 4.0 GPA, but at Berk High School that didn't matter. What mattered was sports, no matter what you did.

Of course, there was a hierarchy of sports, and Hiccup had actually taken the time to make a chart. If you were a boy on the football team, you were at the top, and it was the same for the girls on the volleyball team. Then it was basketball for both genders, then track and field, cross country, cheer, baseball, swim team, and soccer. Any other sport meant you were a cool person, but not cool enough to get invited to parties unless you brought weed or alcohol.

Hiccup didn't play a sport. As a matter of fact, he didn't even take an extracurricular. He preferred to be as invisible as possible. If only his dad wasn't the mayor. If only he didn't live in the fanciest house on the island and own a 1967 Cadillac before he even had his learner's permit. If only his cousin wasn't the captain of the junior varsity football team.

Hiccup looked at himself in the mirror. He was scrawny, tall, and had a slouch. His messy auburn hair covered one of his emerald green eyes, a choice that always peeved his father. He sighed and threw on his classic outfit: A green t-shirt and jeans, and slung his black backpack over his right arm.

"236 days till summer," he muttered, shuffling down the stairs. As he walked through the halls of his family's mansion, he overheard his father working out in the gym, 80s rock ballads blaring. Hiccup paused in front of the door and waited for his father to finish his pushups.

"Morning, son!" Stoick shouted over the music. "Gobber's already outside. Did you need anything?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't really want to go to Snotlout's game tonight. I have some other stuff I want to do."

Stoick grunted. "We talked about this, Hiccup. Unless you try out for the team, you have to go to the games and try out for varsity next year. No exceptions."

"Come on, dad! It's not like tonights gonna be any different—Snotlout'll get to play the whole thing cuz uncle Spitelout is head coach, and then he'll choke every chance he gets and we'll lose. You want me to "watch and learn" but we're the only ones who show up to the freshman games and the whole team sucks!"

Stoick opened his mouth to snap back, but closed it when a loud honking was heard out the window.

"Gobber's here," Hiccup muttered. "See you tonight."

And with that, the conversation was over. Hiccup trudged out of his house into the crisp October air, and saw the old pickup parked in the driveway. A large, walrus-mustached blond man with a fake hand poked his head out the window.

"I don't have all day, kid! Now stop standin' and starin' like it's the end of the world and get in!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, though he smiled at his "uncle's" attitude. "Morning to you too, Gobber," he quipped, climbing into the truck and sliding his backpack into the floorboards.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, pulling out of the driveway and racing down the street at a speed of questionable legality.

This was the routine Hiccup had grown accustomed to since the start of high school. He would get up, argue with his dad in some way or another, then fear for his life as his father's best friend drove him to school.

Gobber was one of Hiccups few friends on the island. He thought it was sad that one of the three nice people to him was a 49-year-old loud-mouthed mechanic who taught at his high school, but at this point he could take what he could get.

They pulled into the staff parking lot of the high school, just in time for the first warning bell to ring.

"You know, Gobber," Hiccup started. "You're gonna get fired if you keep showing up to school after the students."

Gobber waved his prosthetic hand dismissively. "Ack! They won't fire me. The students love me and besides—who's gonna teach the little buggers how to fix their damn cars?"

Hiccup smiled despite himself and slipped out of the truck. "Yeah, yeah. See you fourth period, Gobber."

Gobber nodded. "Now don't be getting into any trouble!"

Hiccup sat in his first period study hall and stared at the wall. Sure he had a whole bunch of science homework to do, but he was too busy thinking of ways to get out of the football game tonight.

His phone buzzed in his back pocket.

Fishlegs: Hey. I can't drive you to the cove tonight. Mom won't let me skip the game.

You: but...coach jorgensen never lets you play...

Fishlegs: She thinks tonight's my night. :/ Sorry

Hiccup dropped his phone on his desk and rolled his eyes. How the hell was he supposed to go to the cove tonight? It was an hour out of town and Fishlegs was his only friend. Sure he knew other people with cars, but he either wasn't on good terms with them or hadn't talked to them since kindergarten.

Fishlegs: Maybe you could ask the twins? Tuff just got a car.

You: yeah, go ask the school's drug dealers for a ride an hour out of town. sounds like a suuuuper good idea

Fishlegs: Come on, they're not that bad. Plus we all used to be friends so maybe they'd understand?

You: okay fine I'll ask at lunch. do you know where they hang out?

Fishlegs: Uhhh I think I saw them in the alleys smoking last week? I don't know though. You know they aren't really my speed.

The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorsten were the exception to the sport rule. Neither of them played any sports, but they grew weed in their backyard and had a killer mead recipe, among other connections. If you were having a house party, you always went to the twins first.

Hiccup used to be friends with them. In kindergarten. It was Hiccup, Fishlegs, the twins, his cousin Snotlout and...Astrid Hofferson.

Astrid Hofferson was somewhat of a local celebrity. She made varsity volleyball, soccer, and cheerleading by sophomore year. She was among the most popular kids in school, already on the honor roll, and was already discussing scholarships with certain universities. Everyone in school had a crush on her, and Hiccup was no exception. He'd had feelings for her ever since he was a little kid.

"Mr. Haddock, where's your homework?"

Hiccup jolted in his seat at the sound of his teacher's voice. Mr. Grimborn was one of the most hated teachers at BHS. His younger brother, the other Mr. Grimborn was a close second. They didn't allowed food, phones, water bottles, or any talking in either of their classes and there were pop quizzes every other day. Luckily for Hiccup, he only had Mr. Viggo for study hall.

"I ah—I finished it," he stammered, beginning to pick at his fingernails.

"Mhm," the teacher said, eyeing Hiccup. "I certainly hope I didn't see a cell phone just now. It would be a shame if it were to end up in principal Ivar's office."

A low "oooh" sounded around Hiccup, making him cringe.

"Uhm...nope. No phone here Mr. Grimborn...Sir."

Without saying anything, Mr. Grimborn eyed Hiccup before continuing his circle around the classroom.

Seconds later, the bell rang and Hiccup sighed in relief before getting out of there as fast as he could.

One advantage to being so scrawny was that Hiccup could actually weave through the beefcake-packed hallways. He ducked under the biceps of football players and dove through the clumps of senior basketball players.

However, he was so entranced in his "hallway gymnastics" as he liked to call it, that he didn't notice the line of volleyball players blocking off the hallway before it was too late. He felt the warm flesh of another human body and immediately cringed.

"Shit, sorry I wasn't—" he trailed off when he looked up and saw Astrid glaring into his soul with her deep blue eyes. "Oh, uh...hey Astrid."

"Hello, Hiccup," she growled, gripping her binder.

"Sorry for bumping into you," he said, bouncing back and fourth on his heels. "I wasn't looking where I was going. How've ya been? I haven't talked to you since what, middle school?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I've been fine. Can I go to class now?"

Hiccup nodded. "Oh! Yeah! Totally! Don't let me get in your way!"

"You're blocking the doorway."

He turned around and jumped out of the way. "Oh my Thor! I am so sorry!" He bowed, gesturing to the door. "Please, go on in, m'lady."

Astrid scoffed and brushed past him. "Whatever."

Hiccup stood straight up and waved at her back. "Yeah! See you around—and she's already gone."

"That was sad," a voice piped behind him, causing Hiccup to jump about a foot in the air.

"Jesus, Cami!" He exclaimed, glaring at the small blonde beside him. "You can't sneak up on me like that!"

Camicazi Bogwater was the third nice person in his life. Her mother was the mayor of Bogwater Island, so their parents were family friends. She was living on Berk for high school, however, to keep her out of trouble.

"Listen, Hiccup, if you wanna get with Astrid you can't call her 'm'lady' that's neckbeard shit and you can't even grow a pedo-stache."

Hiccup rolled his eyes as they continued down the hall. "Sorry for panicking. I have a hard time talking to girls if you didn't notice already."

"You talk to me."

"Yeah, well, you're a lesbian so it's not like I have to worry about you wanting to get in my pants."

Cami shrugged. "You're not wrong. See you in sixth," she called, peeling off into the west hallway.

The lunch bell rang and Hiccup could feel his heart in his throat. The last time he'd talked to the twins was the star of freshman year, and that was only because they had Earth Science together.

He poked his head into the school's alley and saw the two of them eating lunch at the very end.

"Hello?" He called. "Ruff, Tuff?"

The twins looked up from their lunches and smirked.

"Hey, Hiccup," Ruffnut said, crossing her arms over her acid-green tank top. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Tuffnut flipped his shoulder-length blond hair. "You looking for a ride to the cove tonight?"

Hiccup's heart dropped. "How did—"

"I sit behind Fishlegs first period." He stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "We'll give you a ride tonight, you just gotta get us something in return."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Fine. My dad's gotta bottle of Smirnoff. Will that suffice?"

Ruffnut nodded. "Yeah, sure. We'll meet you outside your house at eight thirty."

"Cool. See you then, I guess," Hiccup mumbled.

When Hiccup got home, he found his dad sitting in their living room, in his giant bear-skin "throne".

"Afternoon, son."

Hiccup nodded. "You're home early. Here to tell me that there's absolutely no way I'm getting out of that football game?"

Stoick shook his head. "I actually wanted to propose an alternative, since you're right about the same thing happening every time."

Hiccup rolled your eyes. "No, dad. I'm not joining the team."

"That's not what I was going to say. What I was going to say was that you should just go to the varsity games instead. It's more exciting and I know for a fact that you never have anything to do on Fridays. Besides, you could stand to show a little school spirit every now and then."

"Whatever," Hiccup muttered. "I'm gonna go do homework."

"Hiccup, wait—" Stoick started. "I want to—"

But Hiccup was already gone.

The second he got to his bedroom, he shut the door and locked it. He walked over to his desk and flipped open his sketchbook. The first page was a half-finished drawing of the cove. That's why he wanted to go. It was such an odd yet beautiful setting. It reminded him of the books in the library, describing the old times of the vikings. It was a different time.

Maybe it was a time where Hiccup could've meant something.


End file.
